Ericsson opens a cloud lab in Italy for faster co-creation and innovation

The cloud lab, located in Rome, is an open and multi-vendor environment based on NFV and SDN technologies

Telecom operators and Ericsson can jointly develop proof of concepts and execute trials for new use cases and cloud services

The operators can access the cloud lab virtually from any of their premises worldwide

Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC) is launching a new cloud lab in Italy enabling faster innovation and co-creation with leading telecom operators. The lab, located in Rome, is an open and multi-vendor environment based on Network Function Virtualization and Software Defined Network technologies addressing the telco cloud domain.

Through a combination of Hyperscale Cloud, Service Provider SDN, and Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) approaches, operators can now simplify their networks, reduce the complexities of topology and service creation, and accelerate the process of new service creation and delivery.

Although the cloud lab is located in the Ericsson campus, the operators can access it virtually from any of their premises worldwide.

Nunzio Mirtillo, Head of Region Mediterranean, Ericsson, says: "Cloud will enable the biggest evolution of the telecom business and this new lab is an example of Ericsson's passion for driving innovations in Italy".

"As great ideas come from collaboration, operators can turn cloud-based approaches to their advantage and implement new architectures that provide network efficiency and shorter time to market for innovative services," Mirtillo continues.

The cloud lab will allow operators to experiment and learn how cloud infrastructure could be designed and integrated in existing environments.

Ericsson is leading the transformation of mobile core networks to open, programmable network platforms, using software-defined networks and distributed cloud capabilities. Open Source is a key approach to working and innovating collaboratively, and for rapidly developing basic technology components for new products.

As a leader in open industry collaboration, Ericsson has been working with a large number of partners, customers and vendors for years as part of the global standards-setting process.

Ericsson is the driving force behind the Networked Society - a world leader in communications technology and services. Our long-term relationships with every major telecom operator in the world allow people, business and society to fulfill their potential and create a more sustainable future.

Our services, software and infrastructure - especially in mobility, broadband and the cloud- are enabling the telecom industry and other sectors to do better business, increase efficiency, improve the user experience and capture new opportunities.

With approximately 115,000 professionals and customers in 180 countries,we combine global scale with technology and services leadership. We support networks that connect more than 2.5 billion subscribers. Forty percent of the world's mobile traffic is carried over Ericsson networks. And our investments in research and development ensure that our solutions - and our customers - stay in front.

Founded in 1876, Ericsson has its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Net sales in 2014 were SEK 228.0 billion (USD 33.1 billion). Ericsson is listed on NASDAQ OMX stock exchange in Stockholm and the NASDAQ in New York.